FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron’s highly symbolic visit to the Vaticanhas been hit by accusations a religious title bestowed on him by Pope Francis ‘undermines’ French secularism.

Mr Macron’s decision to accept the title shows his blatant “disrespect” for the principles of the secular Republic, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the head of France’s far-left La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party, tweeted.

Far-left lawmaker Adrien Quatennens tweeted sarcastically as he weighed in on the controversy: “The president of the secular Republic has been named canon of #Latron! Well, well…”

Under a tradition that began in the 15th century when France was a monarchy, French leaders are automatically given the title.

But Mr Macron is less stringent about secularism – the separation of church and state – than some of his predecessors. Socialists François Mitterrand and François Hollande both declined the title to avoid associating themselves with religious imagery.

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[Secularism] is not a battle against religion, this is a contradiction

Emmanuel Macron

Socialist lawmaker Emmanuel Maurel also hit out at Mr Macron, accusing the president of having an “odd” view of secularism during an interview with RTL radio on Tuesday.

Government spokesperson Benjamin Griveaux told RTL later that day that the title of “First and Only Honorary Canon” was “totally secular,” as he denounced the “unnecessary controversy”.

Religion’s role in everyday life is particularly thorny issue in France, where religious and state matters were separated by law in 1905 and which is now home to Europe’s biggest Muslim and Jewish communities.

Addressing a crowd of Catholics in Rome hours after the ceremony, Mr Macron said that French secularism, or laïcité, was “not a fight against religion”.

He said: “[Secularism] is not a battle against religion, this is a contradiction – it is a law of freedom. The freedom to believe or not to believe… So long as everybody, no matter their religion or philosophical convictions, remains a full-fledged member of the Republic.”

France, he continued, is a country where people have the right to “criticise religions” and where blasphemy is not a crime.

The 40-year-old centrist was raised in a non-religious family. He was baptised a Roman Catholic at his own request at the age of 12.